Newsstands are common on the sidewalks of New York and some other large cities. The typical sidewalk newsstand is fixed in place and has fixed shelves for displaying merchandise. They provide a convenient place for pedestrians to purchase newspapers, magazines, etc. However, most cities have an ordinance prohibiting fixed structures on the sidewalks, and their pedestrians are denied the convenience of having an opportunity to select reading material from a sidewalk newsstand and, instead, have to take the time to go into a store for the same purpose.
The prior art sidewalk newsstands that are in use are generally satisfactory for their intended purpose of providing convenient shopping for pedestrians, but there are disadvantages for the owners and operators of the newsstands. One disadvantage of many prior art outdoor newsstands that are fixed in place is that they are located in cities having ordinances requiring the newsstands to be taken down and removed when they are not doing business. Another disadvantage is that most prior art outdoor newsstands are vulnerable to vandalism when not staffed, as when the operator has to observe the call of nature.
A structural disadvantage of the prior art outdoor newsstand is that the fixed shelves are arranged to display specific items for sale, such as newspapers and magazines, and can not be readily rearranged to support seasonal or different types of merchandise, such as flowers, cannisters of nuts, cigarettes, pretzels, etc.